


baby you're like lightning in a bottle

by ultraviolence



Series: something stronger than magic (past life/Master AU) [1]
Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Past Lives, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Master AU, Possible Soulmates, Rivalry, UST, meet cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-02-01
Packaged: 2019-03-12 08:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13543695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultraviolence/pseuds/ultraviolence
Summary: Part I: Arjuna discovered an important magical artefact, and he wasn't happy that someone else came to see it. In the meanwhile, Karna has a proposal in mind.OR, in which Arjuna and Karna are accomplished magi and archaeologists. AU. May or may not turn into Soulmate AU later on.





	baby you're like lightning in a bottle

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a collection of drabbles/ficlets that will deal with Karjuna and eventually their past lives as we go along (and of course, angst). Title taken from Børns' song _Electric Love_. Enjoy!

He had heard about _him_ , of course.

In the hallways of the Association, talked about by his associates, even in the hallowed sanctum of the Clock Tower—everyone knows about him, or, at the very least, certain thatthey know _his_ story. Arjuna thought the same until he walked into the stifled, cramped room of the main tent. And then he wasn’t so certain anymore.

This man, this…magi, there was something about him that made Arjuna’s breath catch, air nearly scurrying back to the safety of the cage of his lungs. It wasn’t simply about the easy, nearly casual way he carried himself despite the raw magical power emanating from him, nor the way he delicately bends over the artefact, as if he was a lepidopterist and the object he was looking at was an extremely rare butterfly. The sheer power in him could have levelled continents, Arjuna was certain about that.

He knows because his own magical circuits could easily rival that.

“Professor,” he greeted curtly, despite the other man’s apparent youth—he was only a few years older than Arjuna, just by the end of his twenties, although he looked a bit younger—crossing his arms over his chest. Despite his own reputation at stake, Arjuna wasn’t very good at being polite in situations like this, with a man that—personally speaking—he considered as his rival. “I thought trying to steal another man’s precious artefact was underneath someone of your stature,” he added, bitingly. 

The other man’s gaze was startlingly piercing, softening only for a fraction and for less than a second at that, and Arjuna could feel himself nearly flinching at the force of his gaze, but he forced himself to meet it. The other man’s eyes were—somehow he knew, even before he looked at them—startlingly, dizzyingly blue, like falling from the heights, but Arjuna steeled his gaze.

“Ah, _doctor_ ,” the other merely said, straightening himself and wiping a hand, delicately, on the pipe of his trousers. He wasn’t wearing work gear, he was in a normal button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black trousers—nothing that screams magi except for the single wheel-shaped earring and a smaller, matching necklace—and his tone was flat, conversational. “I heard that you were going to earn your professorship with this,” he said, smiling slightly. _He knows_ , Arjuna thought, _he knows what I’m actually going to use it for_. “I hope you don’t mind me looking at it.”

Something about the way he said it irritated Arjuna, or perhaps it was the way that he casually ignores his snide remark about stealing. Maybe it was the assumed slight, the emphasise on the word doctor. Arjuna’s lip curled up into a tight smile. “I had an arrangement with the Clock Tower,” he told him. “It’s mine. I dug it up myself.”

Karna stared at him, a— _somehow_ —familiar look. Arjuna forced himself not to swallow hard. He wasn’t intimidated by this…by this upstart, whose family has only produced magi for four generations, despite his genius, unlike him. He was nothing, Arjuna told himself, the artefact was his.

“I was here on behalf of the Atlas Institute,” Karna continued. “I wasn’t aware that the Association wouldn’t be pleased if someone else came to look at it.”

He’s a hack, Arjuna told himself, nearly said it out loud and bit his tongue. He glared at him. “And I wasn’t told that someone from _Atlas_ would be here.”

A pause. Karna glanced at the artifact, briefly, before his gaze settled back on Arjuna. Arjuna tapped his feet, impatiently. “Are you afraid that I am going to steal your thunder?” he said, almost gently, raising a pale eyebrow. “Ah, but where are my manners,” he stuck out a hand, “call me Karna. Titles are unnecessary.”

Arjuna didn’t accept it. Instead, he glances up and down at him, and brushes past him. “I don’t have time for pleasantries,” he told him. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a magical artifact, grade still unknown, to examine and report. We can have pleasantries another time, _professor_.”

“Dinner, then,” Karna said, as Arjuna had started to shift his focus to the object demanding his attention, completely throwing him off, especially with the extremely casual way he said it. He gritted his teeth. “Would you do me the honour of dining with me? I would like to get to know you better,”

_Piss_ _off_ , a part of Arjuna said, though he quickly shuts it off. He bit his tongue again—metaphorically this time, thank the gods—and started picking up where he left off, rolling his sleeves. He thought that maybe, if he ignored the other man, he would just up and left like a bad dream. No such luck. After maybe around five minutes or so, Arjuna was forced to grudgingly acknowledge him.

“No,” he told him, sourly, “that’s my answer. And I would like my solitude back now, thank you. If you’d be so kind to call my assistant and tell her to wait outside.”

“Why not?” Karna pressed, and if he were anyone else, Arjuna would already have lost his temper. But as it stands…well, there was a thread of innocence to his words, a genuine bafflement, and as he stole a glance, Arjuna could see it well in his expression, eyebrow raised, lips curled in confusion, still staring at him—well, his _back_. He felt something in him soften, and condemned it.

“Just…no,” he said, waving the brush he was holding lightly to make his point. “No. Will you please leave now before I throw an object at you?”

Arjuna can’t help it. He stole another glance. Karna’s lips curled upwards slightly. Arjuna immediately looked away, but can’t help that a small blush has coloured his cheeks. What a strange man, he thought, and all the more, he fervently wished that he would just go away. 

“You wouldn’t throw an object at me,” Karna said, flatly and as a matter of fact, “everything in this room is either functional, historical, or precious, or some combination of that, and you don’t want to risk tainting your discovery on your capacity as an archaeologist.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Arjuna growled, almost throw his hands up in pure annoyance. Somehow this man had managed to annoy and interest him all at once, and the immediate, _startling_ familiarity bothered Arjuna. “If I said yes, would you go away and leave me to my work?”

“Yes,” Karna answered, sounding pleased, which somehow annoyed Arjuna even more. “I’ll call you about the details later.”

“No, no, _text_ me instead,” Arjuna told him, getting more and more impatient with him with every second that passed. “I don’t want to hear your voice. No offence.”

“That’s fine,” Karna said, and he doesn’t sound surprised at all. “I’ll see you then. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Surprisingly, as Karna left—Arjuna didn’t bother gracing him with a reply, and thankfully the other man left this time—Arjuna felt like he was looking forward to it, too. He felt uneasy with it. But it felt like a puzzle piece was slowly falling into place. And, being a magi, he doesn’t believe in coincidences.

Besides, he wanted to keep this certain rival _close_. He doesn’t believe in underhanded tactics, nor does he employ them, but he felt like—he felt like this was fated, Karna and him.

It was going to be a very interesting night.

**Author's Note:**

> I _do_ have plans for them. Comments and suggestions are welcome (writing Arjuna is challenging, tbh), as always! Thanks for reading  <3
> 
> hmu at Twitter: @raginghel


End file.
